Guzauski appreciates 'knob per function' ergonomics, metering and build quality: "Everything is always in the same place, like on a real console. That is the reason I wanted it."

 

While Mick Guzauski has worked on several multi-platinum albums and earned his share of Grammy® Awards, his continuing legacy is most clearly identifiable through his towering body of work — which ranges from Daft Punk's Random Access Memories to timeless projects with Barbara Streisand, Mariah Carey and others. Now, with more than 50 years of honing his craft, Guzauski is almost entirely 'in the box' as digital technology improves and client workflows evolve. His most recent acquisition is a Solid State Logic UC1 plug-in controller, which has earned a place in his hybrid workflow set up.

While Guzauski still has heaps of vintage outboard gear in storage, these days most of his work is strictly in the DAW. "I am pretty much all in the box now," he says. "I use the SSL UC1 because I love the knob per function control. The plug-ins are really great and recall ability is so important on a mix right now." He says this is partly because clients are no longer always present during mix sessions. "So once I send the first pass of a mix to the client, I might be working on a couple other projects before I even hear back."

Most recently, Guzauski has been working on projects from top ten American Idol finalist and America's Got Talent contestant Olivia Rox, DJ Cassidy's Pass The Mic television program, and several other projects. He says that most of his mixing takes place in the comfort of his home, where he is able to work at his own pace. "I’m still working, just not hustling as much for gigs these days," he says.
 

UC1: Knob per function channel EQ and bus compression
 

His core set up is centered on Pro Tools running on a MacBook Pro M1 Max, which he uses in conjunction with his SSL UC1. "I saw the UC1 and thought this would be great as a 'knob per function' for a channel strip," Guzauski explains. "So I tried it out and it works very well. He says that he routinely has the SSL Channel Strip 2 software set up on several channels. "I go to the Channel Strip first to see if I can use this to shape my sound, and it usually works very well. If I ever need to get more surgical, I can always use the SSL X-EQ 2 or another EQ."  
 

To say that Guzauski is acclimated to the sound of SSL an understatement. Indeed, he has mixed a range of projects from Mariah Carey, Luther Vandross, BoyzIIMen and Toni Braxton on SSLs, among many others. "I worked on SSL's a lot in the late '80s and early '90s — mostly 4000G and G+ Series consoles, and also worked on the 9000K Series at Hit Factory in New York City and Conway in Los Angeles," he says. "Working on the UC1 controller reminds me of working on these consoles. It is so familiar and nice to have something that is laid out intelligently with a one knob per function set up."
 

如果仅是说Guzauski已经习惯了SSL的声音实在是过于轻描淡写。事实上，他在多张SSL调音上为玛丽亚·凯莉、Luther Vandross、BoyzIIMen和Toni Braxton的一系列项目进行了混音。“在80年代末和90年代初，我在SSL上完成了很多工作——主要是使用4000G和G+系列调音台，并且我还在纽约的 Hit Factory录音棚和洛杉矶的Conway录音棚使用过9000K系列调音台，”他说。 “使用UC1控制器让我想起了在那些调音台上是如何工作的。拥有一个智能化布局的控制器感觉是如此熟悉和美好，每个功能都设置了一个旋钮。”

G Series Compressor magic, in the box
 

He is also well acquainted with SSL's legendary G Series Bus Compressor. "The Bus Compressor has always been one of my favorite things, and I use it all the time" he says. "It just imparts a kind of glue without using too much aggressive compression." Currently, he is using the Native Bus Compressor 2, which is included with the UC1. "My usual stereo bus thing is now the X-EQ 2, and then the Bus Compressor." He appreciates the large LED metering on the UC1 to help manage his gain reduction levels: "It is really nice to be able to look over and see what is going on, since I don't usually have this up on my screen."
 

G系列压缩器的魔力，in the box 
 

他非常熟悉SSL的传奇的G系列列总线压缩器。“总线压缩器(Bus Compressor)一直是我最喜欢的东西之一，我一直都在用它，”他说。“它就像是一种粘合剂，让你无需使用过多的强力压缩。”目前，他正使用UC1附带的原生总线压缩器2(Native Bus Compressor 2)。“我现在常用的立体声总线是 X-EQ 2，然后是总线压缩器。”他很欣赏UC1上的大个的LED计量表，这有助他管理增益衰减水平：“能够查看并了解发生了什么事情真的很太好了，因为我通常不会将它们显示在电脑屏幕上。”

 

"I usually have the Bus Compressor set at 2:1 and then adjust the threshold to taste. There is also a side chain high pass filter, and I usually have that set at around 60 or 70 Hz or 70 so it doesn’t modulate with the kick drum or the bass as much." Whatever setting he has, he is usually pleased with the result: "I’ve never actually measured what that Bus Compressor does, but it always sounds just right! On the stereo bus, it doesn’t crush the dynamic range — the attack seems slow enough that the transients can still get through. The release characteristics are really nice," he says.
 

“我通常将总线压缩设置为 2:1，然后根据口味调整阈值。还有一个侧链高通滤波器，我通常将其设置为60或70Hz，或是70左右，因此它不会与底鼓或贝司产生调制。”不管他使用什么样的设置，他通常对结果都很满意：“我从来没有真正测量过总线压缩器的作用，但它听起来总是恰到好处！在立体声总线上，它不会破坏动态范围——攻击时间似乎足够慢，但仍然有足够的瞬态。释放特性非常好，“他说。

Guzauski says that set up and operation of the UC1 was effortless: "You just install the SSL 360 software, plug it into USB, and it sees all the plug-ins." While other controllers can be confusing because they lack intelligent ergonomics or there may be menu-diving involved, he says this is not the case with UC1. "On the UC1, everything is always in the same place, like on a real console. That is the reason I wanted it." If his mix requires more precise adjustments for Channel Strip or Bus Compressor parameters, Guzauski reaches for the 'fine' knob. "This is great because if I need subtle tweaks, I can adjust the knob a few degrees of revolution for a small change."
 

Guzauski说UC1的设置和操作毫不费力：“你只需安装SSL 360软件，将其接入到USB接口，就会看到所有插件。”其他控制器可能会因为缺乏智能化人体工程学设计或需要潜入到菜单里寻找半天才能找到想要的东西而令人困惑，但Guzauski表示UC1并没有这些问题。“在UC1上，一切都在同一个地方，就像在一张真的调音台上一样。这就是我想拥有它的原因。”如果混音时需要对通道条或总线压缩参数进行更精确的调整，Guzauski会使用“fine”(精细)旋钮。 “这实在太棒了，如果我需要更细致的调整，我可以将旋钮调整几度来进行细微的改变。”

Whether you are a multi-Grammy winning engineer or just getting started in your craft, Guzauski says that the UC1 presents serious value. "It is really easy to get something that you want out of an SSL, and it always reacts really well to what you’re doing. The build quality is really nice, and there is nothing cheap about it."
 

无论你是多个格莱美奖获奖工程师，还是刚刚入行，Guzauski认为UC1都物超所值。“从SSL中得到你想要的东西真的很容易，它总是能很好地对你正在做的事情给出反应。制造品质非常好，一点都不会有廉价感。”